Southern California -- this just in

Live grenade forces evacuation of Glendale Community College campus, nearby homes

September 2, 2010 | 6:26
pm

A live Vietnam-era grenade was detonated Thursday at a Glendale Community College satellite campus, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators said the device was unearthed by construction crews at the Garfield Avenue campus. The discovery prompted the evacuation of the entire campus and several nearby residential buildings.

The bomb squad placed the grenade in a hole in the ground, covered it with several 25- to 35-pound sandbags and detonated it.

About 450 students and about 50 instructors and other staff were evacuated at the community college campus. A daycare center on the campus was also evacuated and the children were sent home with their parents, said Mary Mirch, vice-president of instructional services for the college.

John Muir Elementary School was also placed under lockdown moments before the explosion.